Two tractor-trailer trucks are driving side-by-side on interstate 40. The one on the left hugs the right side of the lane, and the one on the right hugs the left side of the lane, so that the two are almost touching. A physics student driving behind witnesses the event, and realizes that the time is ripe for a daring experiment. With the alacitry of the Lone Ranger, she leaps from her car onto the back of one of the trucks, and climbs on the roof. The student has in her left pocket a 1.5 Volt Evereadys battery, and in her right pocket she carries two wires. The writing on one side indicates that the battery has a capacity of 565 mAh. She pauses brieáy and wonders what this could mean, before refocusing her attention on the task at hand. She quickly connects the negative terminal of the battery to one truck, and the positive terminal to the other, in order to charge the trucks. (a) If the distance between the trucks is 5 nm, estimate how much charge will be on each of the trucks when equilibrium is reached. (b) How close would the trucks have to be for the experiment to completely drain the battery? (c) For a separation of 5 nm, what is the strength of the electric Öeld in the gap between the trucks? Does it exceed the dielectric strength of dry air?
Two tractor-trailer trucks are driving side-by-side on interstate
40. The one on the left hugs the right side of the lane, and the one on the right
hugs the left side of the lane, so that the two are almost touching. A physics
student driving behind witnesses the event, and realizes that the time is ripe
for a daring experiment. With the alacitry of the Lone Ranger, she leaps from
her car onto the back of one of the trucks, and climbs on the roof. The student
has in her left pocket a 1.5 Volt Evereadys battery, and in her right pocket
she carries two wires. The writing on one side indicates that the battery has
a capacity of 565 mAh. She pauses brieáy and wonders what this could mean,
before refocusing her attention on the task at hand. She quickly connects the
negative terminal of the battery to one truck, and the positive terminal to the
other, in order to charge the trucks. (a) If the distance between the trucks is 5
nm, estimate how much charge will be on each of the trucks when equilibrium
is reached. (b) How close would the trucks have to be for the experiment to
completely drain the battery? (c) For a separation of 5 nm, what is the strength
of the electric Öeld in the gap between the trucks? Does it exceed the dielectric
strength of dry air?
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